Science Of Eggs : Making Naked Eggs

A naked egg is an egg without a shell. Using vinegar, you can dissolve the eggshell—without breaking the membrane that contains the egg. 

WHAT IS THIS? 

When you submerge an egg in vinegar, the shell dissolves. Vinegar contains acetic acid, which breaks apart the solid calcium carbonate crystals that make up the eggshell into their calcium and carbonate parts. The calcium ions float free (calcium ions are atoms that are missing electrons), while the carbonate goes to make carbon dioxide—the bubbles that you see.

WHAT DO I NEED?

• a few eggs
• white vinegar
• a container big enough to hold all your eggs and a cover for the container
• a big spoon

WHAT TO DO WITH THAT STUFF ABOVE?

Here’s how you dissolve the shell from your eggs:

1. Place your eggs in the container so that they are not touching.

2. Add enough vinegar to cover the eggs. Notice that bubbles form on the eggs. Cover the container, put it in the refrigerator, and let the eggs sit in the vinegar for 24 hours.

3. Use your big spoon to scoop the eggs out of the vinegar. Be careful—since the eggshell has been dissolving, the egg membrane may be the only thing holding the egg together. The membrane is not as durable as the shell.

4. Carefully dump out the vinegar. Put the eggs back in the container and cover them with fresh vinegar. Leave the eggs in the refrigerator for another 24 hours.

5. Scoop the eggs out again and rinse them carefully. If any of the membranes have broken, letting the egg ooze out, throw those eggs away.

6. When you’re done, you’ll have an egg without a shell. It looks like an egg, but it’s translucent—and the membrane flexes when you squeeze it. Very cool! By: Parv Dandona

Symbolism of the Egg

Since Ancient Times to the Present Day, we have surrounded the egg with magical and supernatural beliefs. Eggs symbolize birth and new life, and were believed to ensure fertility. They also represent rebirth, and hence long life and even immortality. Eggs symbolize life in its different stages of development, encompassing the magic and mystery of creation. 

Early mythmakers viewed both the sun and the egg as the progenitors of all life; the round, yellow yolk symbolizing the sun. 

In Europe during pagan and Christian times, eggs symbolized life and resurrection, leading to the Easter tradition we have of giving and taking Easter Eggs to remind of Christ’s Resurrection.

In Germanic and Slavonic lands, people smeared their hoes with eggs in the hope of transferring the eggs’ fertility to the soil. 

In Iran, newlyweds present each other with eggs.

In seventeenth-century France, a bride broke an egg when entering her new home. 

Clearly, in these numerous and diverse cultures, the egg went beyond a mere food but as a compelling and significant symbol of fertility and the embodiment of life. 

In ancient Australia for example, the Aborigines placed strict taboos altogether on the consumption of emu eggs laid by their tribal totems, mindful of the sacred meaning they possessed.

The Hindu explanation of the beginning of the world saw it as a cosmic egg. First there was non-existence that became existent, and turned into an enormous egg, which incubated for a year and then split open, one part being silver and the other gold. The silver half formed the earth; the gold, the sky; the outer membrane, mountains; the inner, mist and clouds; the veins were rivers, and the fluid part of the egg was the ocean, and from all of these came in turn, the sun.

Furthermore, eggs were often used for divining purposes, enhancing their symbolism of life to life in the future.

The Chinese and some southern Asian tribal groups used chicken and duck eggs to divine the future; painting, boiling and then “reading” the patterns in their cracks. 

The egg is an awe-inspiring universal symbol interwoven by a panoply of symbolic, metaphorical and philosophical connotations through the ages.

By: Daniel "Myth-egg-stical" Kim

Eggs for Breakky!

Eggs are one of the most common breakfast foods eaten today. Also commonly used in recipes, eggs can be prepared in a variety of ways. Eggs are know as an excellent source of protein and carbohydrates. The most common type of egg that is eaten are chicken eggs.

There are a countless number of ways to cook eggs. Many people that are eating eggs for breakfast will cook them either scrambled, over easy, or sunny side up to order. Eggs can also be mixed and matched with other nutritional foods to make omelets.

The Color of Eggs

The color of eggs can vary based on different circumstances. The color of an egg's shell can depend based on the breed of hen that lays the egg. A fresh egg is indicated by a cloudy white color. The color of the yolk of the egg also depends on what the hen eats. A hard boiled egg that is overcooked is indicated by a greenish egg encircling the egg.

  


Salmonella and Eggs
A statistic shows that one of every 20,000 that are produced are found to have the Salmonella bacteria. In August of 2010, the spread of Salmonella in two Iowa farms caused the recall of over 550 million eggs, the diseased eggs infected over 2,200 people. Salmonella infects eggs by going through a hen's system from their natural environment. Though precautions are taken to kill any salmonella that may get into the egg, failing to cool the eggs to a certain temperature can cause salmonella to spread.

By: Parv Dandona

Egg Party Games!

 EGG ON SPOON RACE

One of the most famous party game involving eggs is the ‘egg on the spoon race’.

You will need:

·      4 or more people

·      spoons

·      eggs

·      speed and balance

 

Rules of the game:

The purpose of this game is to balance an egg (hard boiled or normal egg) on the spoon, and racing your fellow party friends without making the egg drop.  This gets tricky, as you can only hold onto the handle of the spoon with only one hand, whilst your other hand will be behind your back, which will make the egg shake if you go too fast or go off balance.

You and a group of friends will line up side-by-side, and travel at least 7 meters or more to your next teammate, and carefully pass on your egg to the teammates spoon without any assistance of hands or fingers. Once the egg has been passed, your teammate will then race back to where you started to complete the race.

If the egg has been dropped, you lose.

 click here to view a video demonstration on this game

A harder version of this party game, is instead of holding the spoon with your hand, the handle of the spoon is being held by your mouth, which makes it much more harder and difficult.

click here to view a video demonstration on this game

 EGG CATCHING GAME

A funny and dirty party game involving some eggs is the ‘egg catching game’

You will need:

·      2 or more people

·      eggs

Rules of the game:

The aim of the game is to be the last one left who has not got egg splatter on you. What you will be doing is stand far apart from each other, and have an egg in play, in which you must gently throw your egg to the person you wish to throw it to. Before throwing however, you must say their name to let them know that you wish to throw the egg at them. The person must then catch that egg that is being thrown at them in a soft and tactical way only with their hands. The throw must not exceed shoulder height.

If the egg breaks, you lose, along with a trip to the shower!! You want to get as much people out by making them break their egg on their catch.

click here to view a video demonstration of this game

the egg blogging team hope you have fun with all these egg games at your next party! egg on!

By: Mitchell Cruz

How to Tell if an Egg Is Hard-Boiled

             

Oh, no! 

You've mixed up the eggs in your refrigerator  

and can't tell which are hard-boiled 

and which are raw!

Relax ...

here's an easy test.

Instructions

1. Gently place the egg on its side on a counter top.
   
   
2. Spin the egg.
   
   
3. If the egg spins freely, it's hard-boiled.
   
   
4. If it wobbles and stops spinning, it's not hard-boiled.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   By: Parv Dandona

Egg Coloring!



Dear Egg Lovers,

Besides being something totally awesome and that everyone should try at least once in their lives, egg painting has been around for the past 2000 years!!!

Shocking? hardly

 Eggs were first decorated for Easter in ancient and medieval times. They were beautifully painted in detail to be given as gifts and used in spring festivals. The wealthy often decorated their eggs elaborately with gold or gold leaf while peasants used what was readily available in nature to decorate their eggs. Gorse flower, spinach, insects and even wood chips were used to dye their eggs.

Since then, Coloring eggs usually for Easter and water based dyes or food coloring is used to paint Easter eggs.

HOW TO COLOR YOUR EGGS

Step One:choose your eggs and decide whether you want to 

A) keep it for as long as possible

B)Keep for like a week or so (just to show someone that can)

C) Or play a awesome game

Step Two: if you selected

A) use a pin and pierce the egg and drain all the fluid

B) leave as is

C) Hard boil your eggs

Step Three: fill a cup with hot water and your favourite food coloring 

Step Four: Use a table spoon to dip your eggs (about for a minute)

*handy tip add a few drops of vegetables oil into your mixture and it will make the eggs spotty

Step Five: wait until they are dry

Step Six: your can also your glitter or stickers to further your egg-perience  

OK so what do you with them afterwards?

well

A) if you hollowed your egg out first you can keep it forever

B) if you didn't that's ok you'll still have it for about a week or so before it gets old  

C)However if you hard boiled your eggs your in luck,

 a traditional game is played where hard boiled pace eggs are distributed and each player hits the other player's egg with their own. This is known as "egg tapping", "egg dumping" or "egg jarping". The winner is the holder of the last intact egg. The losers get to eat their eggs. The annual egg jarping world championship is held every year over Easter in Peterlee Cricket Club. It is also practiced in Bulgaria, Russia, Hungary, Croatia, Lithuania, Lebanon, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Ukraine, and other countries. They call it tucanje. so practice and maybe you'll be a winner too!!

anyways stay tune for more egg-citing news from

the EGG LOVER INC.

By: Emily Pronin

  

Since the Crack of Egg...

Humans have been enjoying eggs since the crack of dawn. The history of the egg is a complex, mysterious and diverse tapestry that draws together cultures from the four corners of the large egg we inhabit.

Why has the egg enjoyed pride of place as the Ultimate Food?

There are numerous reasons for this.
Firstly, it is a widely accessible resource. Eggs are obtainable from a plethora of animals all inhabiting different parts of the world. Ostrich and chicken eggs are most commonly consumed.
Secondly, it is a nutritional smorgasbord, adaptable to many different cooking styles, instruments and recipes, and are a worthy subsititute for meat on fasting days required by certain religions.
Finally, due to its multi-faceted properties, eggs have been the centre of much socio-religious symbolism and tradition. This has elevated the perception of the egg from a mere food to an emblem of social and spiritual significance.


Smith and Daniel (1975, pp11-12) deduced that at some time in the early history of man, female game birds were perceived as a source of both meat and eggs. Men discovered that by removing from the nest eggs that they did not wish to have hatch (or that they simply wished to eat), they could induce the female jungle fowl to lay additional eggs and, indeed, to continue to lay eggs throughout an extended laying season.

Katz and Weaver (2003, p 558) consolidate historical records, highlighting that the jungle fowl (untamed hens) were domesticated in India by 3200 BC, with records from China and Egypt showing that the fowl laid eggs for human consumption around 1400 BC. Archeological evidence supports Neolithic age consumption of eggs. The first domesticated fowl reached North America with the second voyage of Columbus in 1493.


Where did the English word egg originate?

The Old English term was oeg, which survived in Middle English as ey (plural eyren). However, in the fourteenth century, the word egg was borrowed from Old Norse. For a time the two forms competed with each other. William Caxton, in the prologue to his Book of Eneydos (1490), asked 'What should a man in these day now write, eggs or eyren, certainly it is hard to please every man'.
Alas, in the late sixteenth century, the Norse form finally emerged as winner. Hence hatched forth the word egg.

An Ancient Roman mural depicting eggs at the centre of a prepared meal

Eggs in baking
Culinary evidence confirms that the Egyptian and Roman peoples used eggs in their breads and cakes, based on their thickening capacity.

The Ancient Egyptians, particularly nobles and priests were well served, furnished with at least forty different kinds of bread and pastries, varieties ranging from honey, milk and eggs.

In the Roman period, pastry cooks made much use of eggs for desserts as well as cakes such as the libum, which was offered as a sacrifice to household spirits. Eggs really made their way into the kitchen with Apicius (First Century BC) a Roman gourmet and lover of luxury , who mentioned them frequently in the Ars Magirica, a collection of Roman cookery recipes. Beaten eggs were used as a thickening and to bind sauces and ragouts; hard boiled eggs became an ingredient of various dishes, sometimes with cheese, but there is no evidence that eggs were eaten just as they were, as a dish in themselves.

The Avid Roman Egg-Lover himself

By Daniel "Egg-story" Kim

Ten Interesting Facts about Eggs !

Dear Egg LOVERS

here are ten interesting fact you may or may not have known about eggs !!!

1. Can't remember if an egg is fresh or hard boiled? Just spin the egg. If it wobbles, it's raw. If it spins easily, it's hard boiled.

2. Eggs also contain all the essential protein, minerals and vitamins, except Vitamin C.

3.The timeless question "is it safe to eat raw eggs?"
It's best not to serve raw or lightly cooked dishes made with eggs. The risk of food poisoning from eggs is highest with raw and lightly cooked dishes.

4.  A hen can lay between 250 up to 270 eggs each year.

5. If an egg is compressed exactly at the two narrow ends, it would never crack or break ! egg shells are built to take that kind of compression, remember where it comes from ...

6. Eggs also are good for your eyes because they contain lutein which helps prevents age-related cataracts and muscular degeneration. In fact, eggs contain more lutein than spinach and other green vegetables.

7. The color of the egg shell is not related to quality, nutrients, flavour, or cooking characteristics. White shelled eggs are produced by hens with white feathers and white ear lobes. Brown shelled eggs are produced by hens with red feathers and red ear lobes. Brown egg layers usually are slightly larger and require more food, thus brown eggs usually cost more than white eggs.

8. A whole egg is about 3 tablespoons worth of liquid.

9. China produces the most eggs, at about 160 billion per year.

10. And to finish "what came first the chicken or the egg?" well chickens and their eggs both pre date human life by a few thousand years so we'll never know, but by considering that you need a chicken to make an egg...

anyways hope you enjoyed those facts
and look forward to chatting to you all soon

<3 the EGG LOVERS.

brought to you from EMILY : P